Script Writing and Stereotypical Representation

Although our group worked together to brainstorm ideas for dialogue, I was mainly tasked with writing the script for our film opening. Because we wanted to incorporate elements of satire and comedy in our film opening, I attempted (perhaps poorly) to include jokes and exaggerated (stereotypical) language. It was difficult, as a teenager who has seen many poor representations of my generation in media, to add to this trend; however, I felt that this representation was justified by the need for social commentary about vanity, the need to fit in, and the desire for validation through social media in our society. 

In the Netflix-original show, 13 Reasons Why,  high school students depicted in a stereotypical manner, with over-generalizations about the actions and motivations of teenagers heavily influencing the plot of the show. High school students are represented as conniving, cruel people in many cases, and this often hinges on desire for acceptance. While I believe portraying characters like this is important, in the drama genre it feels insincere and inaccurate. 

13 Reasons Why (2017)

Due to our film opening purposely seeking out to feature over-exaggeration and social commentary (without the same seriousness of the drama genre), I believe representing teenage characters in a negative light to emphasize our message about social media is appropriate. Teenage girls are often seen as social media-obsessed in modern times; playing on this common conception could attract a broader audience to watch our film and be exposed to our social commentary. 

The draft of our script (the narrator is the protagonist, Tiffany)

The script is just a draft at this point, and I am definitely planning on revising and improving upon it as we continue work on the film opening. We may face some difficulty in deciding how to match our shots with the narration. 

[13 Reasons Why]. (n.d.). Retrieved March 14, 2018, from https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/13-reasons-why-1519414203.jpg?crop=0.625xw:0.469xh;0.225xw,0.0984xh&resize=4098:*